Lake County shifting funds to cover public safety overtime expenses
The Lake County Jail is located at 2293 N. Main St. in Crown Point.
CROWN POINT — Understaffed Lake County public safety services are preparing to shift money in their budgets to cover larger than expected employee overtime expenses.
The Lake County Council is set to approve the transfers Tuesday after department leaders explained the situation — a familiar one to many Region employers — during the council's Thursday study session.
At the Lake County Jail, Warden Todd Wasmer said he's 56 correctional officers short of the 222 authorized for the facility that's capable of housing about 1,040 inmates but generally locks up about 800 a night.
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He's asking the council to move $850,000 from the jail's protective services line item to overtime ($800,000) and furniture and fixtures ($50,000), so he can pay the officers taking on extra work in the absence of additional colleagues and replace some needed equipment.
"With the amount of overtime that we're paying to cover all of our mandatory posts, we need that moved down from what we would pay staff to the overtime," Wasmer said.
The 56 open posts at the jail actually are an increase compared to last year when the jail was about 47 correctional officers short of full strength.
Wasmer said council action to hike starting pay to $50,000 a year, with generous county benefits, has attracted more applicants, but many turn out to be "not viable candidates" and maybe or three or four get hired of every 100 people expressing interest in the job.
"It's just a rough process," he said. "It's a nationwide issue that no one can seem to find the answers for."
Councilman Ted Bilski, D-Hobart, said he believes the impact of the jail staffing shortage could be minimized, and less overtime required, if the sheriff and prosecutor would work together to get nonviolent inmates awaiting trial put on electronic monitoring instead of just sitting in the jail.
"If we could take 100 people out of jail that are nonviolent and put them on the bracelets, that's a step, I think, in the right direction," Bilski said.
Riding Shotgun with Merrillville Police Officer Amanda Earley
Other council members expressed interest in implementing electronic or biometric timekeeping devices at the jail to ensure correctional officers are working all the regular and overtime hours they're currently reporting on paper time sheets.
The overtime funding transfer is smaller at the Lake County 911 center. But the ask is similar — shifting $475,000 designated for regular employees to pay overtime to staffers doing extra work stemming from about 20 vacant posts at the 24-hour emergency response facility.
Director Mark Swiderski told the county council his department also is actively recruiting new workers wherever it can, including high schools, since 911 telecommunicators only have to be 18 years old instead of 21 like corrections and police officers.
Age: 34
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304645
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 37
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304663
Arrest Date: May 17, 2023
Arresting Agency: Munster Police Department
Offense Description: BATTERY - SIMPLE - TOUCH W/NO INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Age: 26
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304632
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: BATTERY - SIMPLE - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 48
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304638
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - < $750
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 43
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304654
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OPERATING A VEHICLE AFTER DRIVING PRIVILEGES ARE SUSPENDED
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 61
Residence: Goodland, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304651
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Dyer Police Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - METHAMPHETAMINE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 45
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304649
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: DEALING - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 59
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304634
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - $750 TO $50,000;
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 44
Residence: Grant Park, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304633
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SIMPLE - W/PRIOR CONVICTION
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 38
Residence: Lake Station, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304642
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake Station Police Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SIMPLE - W/PRIOR CONVICTION
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 41
Residence: Winfield, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304655
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Winfield Police Deparatment
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Age: 38
Residence: Lake Station, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304650
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake Station Police Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG; OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Age: 31
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304660
Arrest Date: May 17, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Age: 43
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304629
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: FRAUD - INSTITUTION - BANK/FINANCIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 35
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304625
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: LCCS
Offense Description: CONFINEMENT
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 27
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304628
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/MODERATE BODILY INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 22
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304627
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Age: 24
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304641
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: ROBBERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 23
Residence: Ford Heights, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304630
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: FRAUD - FORGERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 29
Residence: Munster, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304636
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: INTIMIDATION - STALKING VIOLATIONS
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 40
Residence: Schererville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304648
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Schererville Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 39
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304635
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: FRAUD - FORGERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 64
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304626
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION - TRAFFICKING WITH AN INMATE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 23
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304661
Arrest Date: May 17, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SIMPLE - < $750; CONFINEMENT; RESISTING - INTERFERING WITH PUBLIC SAFETY; MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Age: 48
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304623
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Other
Offense Description: ROBBERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 20
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304631
Arrest Date: May 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/DEADLY WEAPON
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 43
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304684
Arrest Date: May 17, 2023
Arresting Agency: New Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Age: 46
Residence: Lansing, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304681
Arrest Date: May 17, 2023
Arresting Agency: Munster Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Age: 28
Residence: DeMotte, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304683
Arrest Date: May 18, 2023
Arresting Agency: Schneider Police Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - FIREARM - HANDGUN - W/NO PERMIT
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 20
Residence: Oak Forest, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304680
Arrest Date: May 17, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Age: 40
Residence: St. Petersburg, FL
Booking Number(s): 2304677
Arrest Date: May 17, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: RIVERBOAT GAMBLING- CASINO GAMBLING VIOLATIONS
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 43
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304671
Arrest Date: May 17, 2023
Arresting Agency: LCCC
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Age: 41
Residence: Schererville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304678
Arrest Date: May 17, 2023
Arresting Agency: Schererville Police Department
Offense Description: CONFINEMENT - KIDNAPPING
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 32
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304673
Arrest Date: May 17, 2023
Arresting Agency: LCCC
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/BODILY INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Age: 27
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304670
Arrest Date: May 17, 2023
Arresting Agency: Gary Police Department
Offense Description: DEALING - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Age: 38
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304672
Arrest Date: May 17, 2023
Arresting Agency: LCCC
Offense Description: Domestic Battery
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
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Chief Political Reporter
Dan has reported on Indiana state and local government for The Times since 2009. He also covers casinos, campaigns and corruption.
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